"House passes bill that could limit Syrian refugees. Statue of
Liberty bows head in anguish," she wrote
on Twitter.

That tweet prompted immediate backlash from critics who said she
shouldn't have been opining on contentious legislation. Unlike
some of its competitors, CNN typically strives for a
straight-news, nonpartisan approach to its broadcasting.

"I was stunned that Elise Labott, a CNN reporter, would tweet
about Statue of Liberty hanging its head after Syrian refugee
bill passed," added
Howard Kurtz, a media-focused Fox News host. Kurtz further called
the tweet "disrespectful."

The issue of Syrian refugees became charged after last week's
terror attack in Paris, which left more than 100 people dead and
hundreds more injured. A Syrian passport was reportedly found on
one of the attackers.

Republican leaders widely declared that President Barack Obama's
Syrian-refugee plan constitutes a national-security risk. In
a
stunning blow to Obama, a number of House Democrats voted for
the Republican-backed bill on Thursday.

For her part, Labott apologized Thursday night on Twitter:

Everyone, It was wrong of me to editorialize. My tweet was inappropriate and disrespectful. I sincerely apologize.